Fever fall to Valkyries as playoff chase tightens; Liberty still in control
The Indiana Fever were without Caitlin Clark for the 18th straight game and saw their late-season surge end with a 75-63 setback to the Golden State Valkyries. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 14 points and three assists, while Iliana Rupert scored 21 to pace Golden State.
With the 2025 WNBA regular season winding down, playoff spots are still up for grabs. The New York Liberty sit at 24-16, in fifth place, and still control their own destiny despite a recent setback. They needed either a Los Angeles Sparks loss to the Washington Mystics or a Valkyries loss to Indiana to clinch a berth on Sunday. The Sparks delivered a win, beating Washington 81-78, and Golden State’s victory over Indiana means New York will wait a bit longer to seal a spot. The Liberty will still have a chance to clinch with a win, and their next opponent is the Valkyries on Tuesday.
The loss dropped Indiana from sixth to eighth in the standings, as Golden State and the Seattle Storm moved ahead. After Sunday’s results, the WNBA standings show Minnesota as the top team with a 31-8 record (clinched), followed by Las Vegas (26-14, clinched), Atlanta (25-14, clinched), Phoenix (25-14, clinched), the New York Liberty (24-16), Golden State (21-18), Seattle (22-19), Indiana (21-19) and Los Angeles (18-20). The Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Indiana still controls its own playoff fate, but the path is more crowded with the Sparks close behind and holding the 4-0 head-to-head tiebreaker against them. The Fever wrap up a three-game West Coast road trip on Monday when they head to Seattle to face the Storm at 10:00 p.m. ET.
What to watch next:
– Caitlin Clark’s status continues to be a storyline for Indiana, with others stepping up to fill the scoring gap.
– New York’s bid for a postseason berth remains alive, but their next challenge against the Valkyries is a direct playoff-positioning matchup.
– The tiebreaker implications remain critical as teams jockey for spots and seeds in the final stretch.
Overall takeaway: The late-season slate is shaping a tense stretch run for the league’s playoff picture, with several teams still in contention and every matchup carrying added significance. Positive note: teams fighting for a postseason berth are showing resilience, and injuries or absences are giving opportunities for others to step up and influence the standings.